"Teach me to know that the promise of the rainbow is found, not in cloud-free days, but in the midst of the storm."

Friday, November 16, 2012

Your Heart's Desire

Over the next few weeks I am excited to share with you some articles by Sheri Rose Shepherd. I am currently reading her book Your Heart's Desire. I hope you will enjoy these articles and be encouraged by them. I will do a book review on the book when I am finished with it.

Desiring
a “Happily Ever After”

Fighting the Temptation to GiveUponLoveandMarriage

By Sheri Rose Shepherd

Bestselling Author and Bible Life Coach

I
don’t know where you stand today with the man you love or loved—or if you are
single, divorced, separated, or widowed. I can tell you, though, that if you’ve
been hurt, you can be sure Your heavenly Father knows how hard it is to love
and forgive the one who caused you pain. Yet regardless of the relational
devastation you face, no one can keep you from finishing strong for God’s
glory!

I
was raised in a non-Christian home. My parents have each been married and
divorced to three different people. As part of several blended families, all I
understood about marriage when I was growing up was “unhappily ever after.” But
then I became a Christian at twenty-four and married my husband, Steve, just a
few years later. Because of my love for God and my husband, I honestly didn’t
think anything could shake my own marriage or faith.

In
the summer of 2007, however, my happily ever after was wiped out and my faith
was tested. The family foundation I had worked so hard to build and protect was
almost destroyed, along with my ministry, in that season of my life. I truly
believed that God had forsaken me.

I
had just finished writing my book for mothers about raising sons to become godly
husbands. As I excitedly ran upstairs to e-mail the manuscript to the publisher,
I suddenly felt as if something dark hovered over me. My passion for the book’s
message was drowned out by the fear of an attack from the enemy that could come
against me and my family if I stepped on his territory . . . young men and
their future marriages.

I
called the publisher and said I’d need to wait and pray for courage before
submitting the manuscript.

I
went to my son, Jake, who was eighteen years old and a senior in high school at
the time, and asked him if he had any plans of rebelling against his faith once
he graduated from high school. I told him I was willing to give him freedom to
find his own faith in Christ, but I didn’t want to put out a book about raising
boys if my own son was going to walk away from the Lord. He reassured me that
he was strong in his faith and that he felt I should publish the book. I
decided to take the chance to make a difference and sent in the manuscript.

The book began climbing the charts, and
everything seemed to be going well. I even began speaking with my son at
conferences for mothers of boys. Then three months into my book tour, my fear
of attack hit. My husband had taken a job that we had both prayed for. This job
appeared to be a blessing; however, his new position required him to violate
some of the boundaries we had put in place to protect our marriage, and we
ended up separated.

There
I was in the public eye of ministry, fighting to save future marriages, and
somehow my own marriage was falling apart. My son was devastated by the
division between me and his dad. It was too hard for him to deal with all his
confusion, pain, and anger, so he took a break from his faith and began using
drugs and alcohol to comfort himself.

I
had always known to run to God for cover when there was a great attack, but now
I felt like He[SK1] had left me alone on the
battlefield to fight for myself. It appeared that all I had believed about God
and all my effort to build a strong foundation for my own family had been
shattered. My pain, my shame, and my life were an embarrassment. I felt as if I
were battling an out-of-control fire that would burn up everything I loved and
lived for. Every night I would cry myself to sleep as I struggled to understand
why God had not protected me while I was attempting to accomplish something for
His glory.

One
night I could not take it anymore, so I fell to my knees and told God I either
wanted Him to fix my family or I wanted to quit the ministry. Then I felt the
Lord asking me a bigger question: Was My life,
given on a cross for you, not enough for you to finish strong even if it means
surrendering the life you wanted? For the first time I realized that my
heart’s true desire was to feel loved and secure, and yet no man on earth could
love me the way my Lord does. In that moment of crisis I found the true meaning
of following Christ. God had not forsaken me, but He did want to free me from
depending on others to give me my happily ever after.

That
night I gave my heart’s deepest desire to God and chose to follow Him at any
cost. In exchange, He gave me something so much better; He gave me peace that
was more powerful than my circumstances. My faith was no longer in people; it
was in Christ alone. Although nothing outwardly had changed yet, I had been
changed. Today, Steve and I have celebrated twenty-five years of marriage, and
our son serves God with His whole heart. He and his bride have given us our first
grandbaby girl. However, to be honest, restoring our marriage was
excruciatingly painful and more difficult than either of us expected. As hard
as this trial was, it taught me a valuable lesson: our Lord is the God of
comfort and the author of a new beginning. He can and will rebuild a beautiful
life out of any broken heart willing to make a change. He will use one
sacrificial choice; one act of forgiveness; one sincere, repentant heart; and
one woman who is willing to step out in faith and start rebuilding with His love
for His glory.

I
lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes
from the Lord, the Maker of heaven
and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

For
more teaching from the Your Heart’s Desire
book and Bible study, visit www.biblelifecoaching.com.

[SK1]Bonne,
I have lowercased “He” here (and in other places) to follow CMS 8:94; however,
I just noticed that these pronouns are capped in the book. Please let me know
if they should be switched back. Thanks!

July 2015

Think about this...

Blog information

I've been married for 13 blessed and amazing years to my college sweetheart who is my best friend. God knew exactly what I needed when He gave me my husband! Our blessing Caleb is a 10 year old 5th grader. We are so proud of him and watching him grow. We are expecting another baby in April 2015. We also have had two miscarriages, one in January 2003 and one in April 2013. I feel extremely thankful to be a stay at home Mom.
I love reading, singing, writing, and spending time with my boys. I also enjoy volunteering and am thankful I am able to volunteer.
Blogging has been such a blessing. I've "met" many wonderful, encouraging ladies.
One of my favorite verses is Matthew 5:16--"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven."

Links to my other blogs...

Mission Statement

It is my purpose through blogging to encourage others in their daily lives, to develop and strengthen friendships, to share tidbits of my personal life, and to glorify God in all I write that I might shine His light to anyone who reads as I continue on this path through both "Raindrop & Rainbow" days towards Heaven.